Project will benefit youth in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and neighboring areas
Long-time Boston youth nonprofit organization, Youth Enrichment Services (YES) announces the receipt of a capital grant from the Yawkey Foundation to fund the building of a new headquarters in Jamaica Plain at 267 Amory Street. The Yawkey Foundation has supported YES for over 20 years with operational and capacity building grants. The projected groundbreaking is planned for 2023 with occupancy in 2025.
The YES facility will be a 16,000 square foot three-story youth development center that includes a state-of-the-art ski rental shop, activity space, classrooms, boulder climbing wall, outdoor mezzanine, and equipment storage.
YES has outgrown its current facility in the South End which is too small to accommodate the growing number of youth who want to participate in the organization’s year round sports-based and leadership development programs. The new facility will provide a much needed safe and accessible bus and car loading/pickup/drop-off space. YES will have the capacity to expand services to reach an additional 500 youth within three years and an additional 700 youth within five years.
The proposed building at 267 Amory Street is walking distance from the MBTA Orange Line (Stony Brook stop) and will include on-site parking spaces, a dedicated bus lane, and pull-off for two coach buses. It will be in close proximity to two family housing developments, schools, and other youth-serving nonprofit organizations. Moving to Jamaica Plain will allow for increased accessibility for families in need of YES’s affordable youth development programs and significantly strengthen the future of an organization that has been serving the youth of Boston for more than 50 years.
Please contact Executive Director, Bryan Van Dorpe, ([email protected]) with any questions about the YES project.
About Youth Enrichment Services – The mission of YES is to inspire youth through outdoor experiences and leadership opportunities that build confidence and prepare them to summit life’s challenges. Established in 1968 by Richard Williams and currently led by veteran nonprofit leader, Bryan Van Dorpe, YES is dedicated to providing Boston young people with impactful and challenging outdoor enrichment and leadership development programming. 1,200 Boston youth receive services from YES annually with a goal to serve an additional 700 youth by 2028. 58 percent of youth served live in Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, and YES’s future neighborhood of Jamaica Plain. Learn more at www.yeskids.org
Exterior rendering of the new proposed headquarters of Youth Enrichment Services located in Jamaica Plain at 267 Amory Street. (Provided by Youth Enrichment Services)